Wednesday, July 11, 2007

Open Letter to Theater Companies Who Charge Fees

To Whom It May Concern:

Thank you for your invitation to send my script foryou to read and consider for production. Unfortunately, I see you charge a submission fee. Idon't send scripts to theatres who charge fees. Infact I have begun charging fees myself. You seeadministrative costs being what they are, I can nolonger afford to continue to let people read my playsfor free.

Not only are things like paper and staples andinternet access expensive but the rising cost ofhealth care and my insane student loans fromplaywriting school have made it impossible for me tocontinue to offer my literature for free. I assureyou, however, that my work is of the highest quality.

I will be charging 20 dollars per page. Please letme know what play(s) you would like to read and sendalong your payment to the above address. (I also takepaypal) I will respond in a day or two with therequested pages. If you find this is a play you wantto produce, (and I know you will) please contact mefor rights and I will consider if you are a producingorganization I wish to be associated with.

What would really be fun to find out is how many of these theaters that charge fees actually pay the people who allegedly read the plays -- or do they rely on a volunteer corps of "readers?" So in other words -- how much is it actually costing them to have someone scan your script?

Yeah, the readers should be paid, and that should be part of the budget. I mean, actors don't have to pay to get into auditions with them or to submit their headshots and resumes, do they? And they're auditioning in front of people who get paid for being there, yes? Why should writers be treated differently?